Shore Leave Part 4

By the time the longboat scraped sand, Mercer had learned three things about pirate expeditions. Treasure maps were less useful when the island had been created after the map. Klingons did not row quietly. And Sergeant Major Kane could apparently say no often enough that the word stopped having any measurable effect. Rainer jumped over the side with a sword. Kane watched her splash through knee-deep water toward the beach. “Rainer.” She kept walking. “Rainer.” “I can hear you.” “Put it back.” She turned around. Behind her, sunlight burned across a white beach and a wall of green jungle. The sword hung from her hand. “Back where?” Kane looked at the longboat. Rainer looked at the longboat. It was already pulling away. Four Klingons rowed enthusiastically toward the ship while a fifth stood in the bow shouting encouragement that sounded increasingly insulting. Rainer smiled. “Problem solved.” Kane stared at her. Her pirate stepped out of the water beside her. He had somehow reached shore without Mercer seeing him leave the boat. He carried his own sword. Rainer pointed at him. “He has one.” Kane looked at the Klingon. The Klingon looked at Kane. Then at Rainer. Then he slowly moved his sword behind his back. Mercer laughed. Kane turned toward him. Mercer stopped. His lip still hurt anyway. “Map.” Mercer unfolded it. The parchment snapped in the sea breeze. The island rose in front of them almost exactly as it appeared on the paper. Almost. There was the beach. There was the mountain. There was the crooked inlet. There was the line leading inland. And there was the X. Mercer looked toward the jungle. Then at the map. Then toward the jungle again. “This way.” Hale leaned over his shoulder. “How do you know?” “The map.” “The map has no scale.” “It has a path.” “It has a line.” “It’s a path.” “There are no terrain markings.” “There’s a mountain.” “That is not a terrain marking. That is a drawing of a mountain.” Mercer lowered the map. “It’s a treasure map.” “Yes.” “It has an X.” “Yes.” “So we follow the line to the X.” Hale stared at him. Rainer walked past. “See? He gets it.” “I understand the concept.” “Then stop trying to court-martial the map.” “I am not—” Hale’s Klingon officer walked by. He stopped. Looked at Hale. Looked at the map. Then pointed toward the jungle. Hale looked where he was pointing. The Klingon said something sharp. Hale’s jaw tightened. Rainer smiled. “He outranks you.” “He does not.” The Klingon pointed again. Hale folded his arms. “No.” The officer stared at him. Hale stared back. The officer pointed. Hale started walking. Rainer nearly fell over laughing. Ox came up from the water carrying a cloth sack over one shoulder. The Klingon cook walked beside him with a cooking pot under one arm and his cleaver at his belt. Mercer looked at the pot. “You brought stew?” Ox shook his head. “Pot.” “Why?” Ox looked toward the jungle. “Never know.” Mercer waited. Ox kept walking. “That’s it?” “What?” “Never know what?” Ox shrugged. “Why you need a pot.” Mercer looked at Kane. Kane was already moving. “Right.” They entered the jungle. The temperature changed almost immediately. The breeze disappeared. Heat settled beneath the trees, thick and wet. Broad leaves crowded the path. Insects moved somewhere in the canopy. Water dripped from branches though Mercer could see no sign of rain. The pirates spread naturally around them. Nobody ordered them to. Nobody seemed particularly interested in explaining why they were there. They simply belonged. Two went ahead. Several moved through the trees on either side. Hale’s officer kept stopping to inspect the route as though the island had been assigned to him personally and had already disappointed him. Ox’s cook found a fruit hanging from a low branch. He sniffed it. Bit it. Spat it out. Then struck the tree with his ladle. Ox nodded. “Bad.” Rainer looked back. “You needed him to tell you that?” “No.” “Then why did you ask?” “I didn’t.” The cook hit the tree again. They kept walking. Mercer checked the map. The line curved left. He looked ahead. The path curved right. He stopped. Hale almost walked into him. “What?” Mercer turned the map sideways. “That’s not right.” Hale looked over his shoulder. “The map?” “The path.” “The path exists.” “The map says left.” “The ground says right.” Rainer came back. “What’s wrong?” Mercer pointed. “The path goes the wrong way.” Rainer looked at the path. Then the map. “Go left.” “There’s no path.” “So?” “There’s jungle.” Rainer drew her sword. Kane’s voice came from behind them. “No.” She turned. “I’m cutting plants.” “No.” “What do you think is going to happen?” Kane looked at the blade. Then at her. Rainer sighed. “Fine.” Her pirate stepped forward. He drew his sword. Kane looked at him. The Klingon smiled. Then began cutting through the jungle. Rainer spread her hands. “I didn’t do anything.” Kane looked at the Klingon. The Klingon kept chopping. “Apparently.” They followed. For ten minutes, the island behaved itself. Then the ground disappeared. Mercer stopped so hard Hale struck his back. A ravine split the jungle in front of them. It was perhaps thirty feet across. Mercer looked down. Water moved far below between black rocks. Rainer came up beside him. “Oh.” Hale looked at the map. “There is no ravine.” Mercer took it from him. “I know.” “There should be.” “I know.” “Topographical features of this size—” “I know.” Rainer leaned over the edge. A piece of dirt broke loose beneath her boot. Kane grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her away. She looked at him. “I was looking.” “Look from back here.” Across the ravine, the path continued. Mercer looked at the map. The red line went straight across. Rainer looked too. “Well.” Hale said, “No.” “I haven’t said anything.” “You’re about to.” Rainer looked at Kane. Kane looked at Hale. Hale noticed. “What?” “Nothing.” Rainer smiled. Mercer folded the map. “There has to be another way around.” A rope landed at his feet. Everyone looked up. Rainer’s pirate stood in a tree. Mercer had no idea how he had gotten there. The Klingon wrapped the other end of the rope around a thick branch. Rainer looked at Kane. Kane said, “No.” The Klingon jumped. He swung out over the ravine. His coat opened behind him. He crossed the gap in a long arc, released the rope and landed on the opposite side. Rainer watched him. The Klingon stood. Turned. Bowed. Rainer exhaled slowly. Mercer looked at her. “Don’t.” “I didn’t say anything.” “You were going to.” “I really was.” The Klingon tied the rope off on the far side. Hale examined it. “We can cross one at a time.” Kane looked at the rope. Then at the branch. Then down into the ravine. “No.” Rainer threw both hands into the air. “Of course.” “We go around.” “The treasure is right there.” “You don’t know that.” Mercer held up the map. “Actually—” Kane looked at him. Mercer lowered it. “Could be anywhere.” They went around. The detour took nearly an hour. The Klingons complained loudly. Rainer complained louder. Hale attempted twice to determine whether the officer Klingon had any actual navigational knowledge and received what appeared to be a lecture in return. Ox ate something out of his bag. Mercer noticed. “What’s that?” “Snack.” “You still have snacks?” Ox looked at him. “Why wouldn’t I?” “You cooked lunch.” “Cook helped.” “That wasn’t my question.” Ox offered him something. Mercer took it. He had no idea what it was. It was good. The path eventually climbed. The jungle thinned. Rock pushed through the soil. Mercer checked the map again. The X was close. He could feel it. Not literally. Probably. The boy who had spent rainy afternoons reading about ships and islands and buried treasure had apparently survived somewhere inside him with extraordinary patience. Rainer saw his face. “There it is.” Mercer didn’t look at her. “What?” “The face.” “Shut up.” She grinned. They rounded a wall of stone. And stopped. A stone doorway had been cut into the mountain. Vines hung across it. A skull had been carved above the entrance. Hale looked at Mercer. Mercer looked at Hale. “I did not do that.” Rainer stepped forward. “I like it.” Kane looked at her. “Of course you do.” The doorway led downward. The air changed again. Cool. Wet. The passage narrowed until they had to move single file. Mercer went behind Kane. Hale followed him. Rainer complained until Kane moved her farther back. Ox came last with the cook. The other pirates waited outside. Rainer’s pirate did not. Neither did Hale’s officer. The tunnel descended into darkness. Then torches began appearing along the walls. One after another. Mercer watched the nearest flame come alive. “Nope.” Kane glanced back. “What?” “Nothing.” They reached a chamber. There was no treasure. There was a bridge. A narrow wooden bridge crossed a black opening in the rock. Mercer stared at it. Hale stared at it. Rainer smiled. “No.” She looked at Kane. “You’re becoming predictable.” “Good.” Mercer checked the map. The X was on the other side. Hale saw it. “No.” Mercer looked at him. “You too?” “The bridge is visibly unsafe.” Rainer’s pirate stepped onto it. The first plank creaked. The second bowed. The third snapped. The Klingon dropped. Rainer lunged forward. The pirate caught a rope beneath the bridge with one hand. He swung there. Looked up. Smiled. Rainer stared down at him. “You unbelievable bastard.” He climbed back up. Kane turned to Mercer. “Other route.” “There isn’t one.” “Find one.” Mercer studied the chamber. Stone walls. Water below. Bridge ahead. No doors. No side passages. Nothing. Then Ox pushed through from behind. “Move.” Mercer stepped aside. Ox set down the cooking pot. Rainer looked at him. “What are you doing?” “Need a rock.” Nobody asked. Ox found one. He tied the end of a rope around it. Then looked across the chamber. A stone projection jutted from the opposite wall. He swung the rock once. Twice. Threw. It sailed across. Missed. The rock dropped into darkness. Ox pulled it back. Rainer watched. “Was that the plan?” “Part of it.” He tried again. The rope wrapped around the projection. Ox pulled. It held. The Klingon cook slapped him on the shoulder. Ox smiled. “Yep.” Hale looked at the rope. “That might work.” Ox looked at him. “Yeah.” Rainer looked between them. “Did we just spend an hour walking around a ravine because nobody asked Ox?” Kane said, “Apparently.” Ox tied off the rope. One by one, they crossed. Rainer went first. Then Mercer. Then Hale. Ox. Kane came last. Halfway across, the stone projection moved. Kane heard it before anyone else. A scrape. Small. Wrong. He looked up. The rock shifted. “Move.” Mercer turned. “What?” “Move!” The projection tore free. The rope dropped. Kane fell. His hand caught the bridge. The rotten wood broke. He dropped again. Something seized his wrist. Kane looked up. The Klingon was there. Not Rainer’s. Not Hale’s. The other one. No coat. No sash. No performance. One hand locked around Kane’s wrist. The other held a crack in the stone. Kane looked at him. The Klingon looked back. Below them, water moved through the darkness. Kane found the wall with one boot. The Klingon shifted his grip. Kane climbed. Neither spoke. Rainer appeared above them. Then Hale. Then Mercer. Hands reached down. Kane came over the edge. He rolled onto stone. The Klingon followed. Mercer stared at him. “That’s the one.” Kane got to his feet. “What one?” “The one from the ship.” Kane looked at the Klingon. The Klingon was already walking away. “Move.” Mercer looked after him. Then at Kane. Kane had started toward the next passage. Mercer followed. The tunnel opened into daylight. For a second he couldn’t see. Then the glare cleared. They had emerged on a shelf high above the sea. The mountain rose behind them. The jungle spread below. And twenty yards ahead stood a stone pedestal. On it sat a wooden chest. Mercer stopped breathing. Rainer whispered, “Oh, hell yes.” Hale looked around. “For once, nobody touch anything.” Mercer was already walking. “Mercer.” “It’s the treasure.” “That does not make it safe.” “It’s a treasure chest.” “That is exactly why it may not be safe.” Rainer passed him. “Too late.” Kane caught her shoulder. “No.” She turned. “Why him?” “Because it’s his map.” Mercer looked at Kane. Kane shrugged. “You carried it.” That was good enough. Mercer approached the chest. The wood was black with age. Iron bands crossed the lid. A heavy lock hung from the front. Mercer reached for it. The lock clicked. Fell open. He looked back. Hale said, “Of course.” Mercer lifted the lid. Blue-white light filled the shelf. Nobody spoke. Crystals packed the chest. Large ones. Small ones. Clear at the edges and blue toward their centers. They threw light across Mercer’s hands and face. Hale moved closer. His expression changed. Rainer saw it. “What?” Hale reached into the chest. He lifted one crystal. Turned it. “No.” Mercer’s stomach dropped. “What?” Hale looked at Kane. Then at the crystal. “This is dilithium.” Silence. Rainer stared into the chest. “All of it?” Hale picked up another. Then another. “If these are what they appear to be—” The pirates erupted behind them. “TREASURE!” Mercer jumped. Klingons poured onto the shelf. He had not heard them arrive. Rainer’s pirate shoved through the group, reached into the chest and pulled out a crystal nearly as long as his forearm. He held it above his head. “TREASURE!” The pirates roared. “ARRR!” “Qapla’!” Rainer laughed. Hale still held his crystal. “This could be an extraordinary quantity.” Mercer looked into the chest. “More valuable than gold?” Hale looked at him. “Considerably.” Mercer frowned. “That’s not the point.” Hale stared at him. “What?” “It’s supposed to be gold.” “You are complaining that the treasure is too valuable?” “It’s Treasure Island.” Rainer reached into the chest. She pulled out a crystal. “I’m with Mercer.” Hale looked betrayed. “Thank you.” “Gold would look better.” “That is not what I meant.” Ox arrived at the chest. He looked inside. “Makes sense.” Mercer turned. “How?” Ox shrugged. “Spaceship treasure.” The cook nodded vigorously. Mercer pointed at him. “He does not know what you said.” Ox looked at the cook. The cook looked at Ox. “Sure he does.” The cook lifted a crystal. Bit it. Everyone froze. The Klingon frowned. He bit it again. Rainer stared. “Did he just test dilithium with his teeth?” Ox nodded. “Pirate.” That settled it. At least for Ox. Then the mountain shook. Dust fell from the stone above them. Mercer looked up. “Oh, come on.” The ground moved again. The treasure chest slid. Hale grabbed it. “Get back!” A crack opened across the stone shelf. Rainer jumped over it. Mercer stumbled. Ox caught him. Behind them, part of the passage collapsed. Stone crashed down. The route back disappeared. For one second, everyone stood still. Then Kane said, “Move.” They moved. The shelf narrowed along the cliff. The sea lay far below. Another section cracked. Mercer ran. Rainer was ahead. Hale behind him. Ox somewhere behind Hale. Kane at the rear. The chest remained where it was. Mercer looked back. Rainer grabbed his shirt. “No.” “The treasure.” “The mountain is falling.” “The treasure!” A boulder struck the shelf. Stone exploded. They ran. The path ended. Mercer stopped. Cliff in front. Cliff behind. Sea below. Rainer looked over the edge. “Wonderful.” Hale turned back. The collapsing shelf had cut them off from Kane. “Kane!” Dust filled the gap. No answer. Mercer started toward it. Hale grabbed him. “Wait.” “Kane’s back there.” “I know.” Another section collapsed. Mercer could no longer see the passage. Then a horn sounded below. Everyone looked down. A longboat rounded the rocks. Then another. Then another. Klingon pirates filled them. Rainer stared. “You have got to be kidding me.” The first boat hit the beach below. Pirates jumped out. Ropes came up. Hooks caught stone. Hale’s officer stood in the bow of the second boat, shouting orders. The pirates moved immediately. Lines tightened. A crude rope ladder climbed the cliff. Rainer’s pirate was already halfway up it. He climbed with a sword in his teeth. Rainer leaned over the edge. “Show-off!” The Klingon looked up. Smiled around the sword. Rainer shook her head. “Idiot.” He reached them. He took the sword from his mouth and handed her a rope. Rainer grabbed it. The Klingon pointed down. She looked at him. “You came back.” He frowned. Not understanding. Then he pointed down again. Rainer stared at him for a moment. Then grabbed the rope. “Fine. Bossy bastard.” The Klingon smiled. Hale’s officer reached the shelf next. He immediately began organizing the descent. Hale watched him. The officer pointed at Mercer. Then Ox. Then Rainer. Then Hale. Hale frowned. “You are not in charge.” The Klingon pointed at the rope. Hale looked at it. Then at him. “Fine.” Rainer laughed. Hale ignored her. Mercer looked back toward the dust. “Kane.” A shape appeared. Kane stepped through the gray cloud. The quiet Klingon was beside him. The Klingon carried the treasure chest. Mercer stared. Not dragged. Carried. Both arms around it. Kane saw Mercer’s expression. “Don’t.” Mercer pointed. “He saved the treasure.” Kane looked at the Klingon. The Klingon looked back. Then set the chest down. Another crack split the shelf. Kane looked toward the ropes. “Go.” They went. The pirates got every one of them down. Nobody asked why. Nobody thanked them in a way that required explanation. The Klingons behaved as though rescuing them had been the obvious thing to do. As though there had never been another choice. By sunset they were back aboard the ship. The chest sat in the middle of the deck. Klingons surrounded it. Rainer’s pirate stood on top of a barrel, crystal held high. “TREASURE!” “ARRR!” Hale sat against the mast with his eyes closed. Ox and the cook were eating stew. Mercer held a piece of dilithium in both hands. It caught the sunset and broke it into blue light. At some point, somebody had tied a dark sash around his waist. He couldn't remember when. He didn't particularly care. Kane stood at the rail. The quiet Klingon stood beside him. Neither looked at the other. The ship rolled beneath them. For once, nobody was fighting. Mercer smiled. This was shore leave. Apparently. * * * The Enterprise transporter room smelled like warm circuitry and clean metal. Five pirates materialized on the platform. The transporter chief froze. His hand moved toward the console. Then stopped. Mercer noticed. He looked down at himself. Somewhere between the beach, the mountain and the trip back aboard the pirate ship, his shore-leave clothes had changed. Mostly. His red Starfleet shirt remained underneath everything, but a weathered dark coat hung open over it. A sash crossed his waist. His trousers disappeared into battered leather boots. A red bandanna had somehow been tied around his neck. There was mud on all of it. A lot of mud. Hale stood beside him. His coat was buttoned. Of course it was. A dark sash crossed his chest. His boots were filthy, his hair had given up somewhere on the island, and a leather belt with far too much brass hardware had appeared around his waist. Hale looked down. His expression changed. “When did this happen?” Rainer looked at him. Then down at herself. She had the complete outfit. Long coat. Sash. Boots. Belt. Sword. She smiled. “Oh, I’m keeping this.” “No,” Kane said. Rainer looked at him. Kane looked worse than all of them. His long coat was torn at one shoulder and stained with mud. His boots were caked almost to the knee. The red of his Starfleet shirt showed beneath layers of dark cloth and leather. Something green was caught in his hair. He looked tired. He looked dirty. He looked like a pirate who had spent twenty years regretting the promotion that put him in charge of the other pirates. Rainer’s smile widened. “You look good.” Kane stared at her. “Take off the sword.” “No.” Ox looked down at himself. He wore boots. Loose trousers. A sash. And an apron. The apron was stained. Nobody asked. Ox checked one pocket. Then another. “Still got snacks.” Mercer looked at him. “Of course you do.” They were also carrying a fortune. Mercer had eleven pounds of glowing dilithium hugged against his chest. Rainer carried considerably more. Hale held three carefully selected samples. Ox had one crystal in his pocket. Kane had nothing. The transporter chief looked from one to the next. Two crewmen waiting near the door were staring. Mercer became aware that all five of them smelled like seawater, smoke, sweat, jungle and several hours of poor decisions. The transporter chief looked at Kane. Then Rainer’s sword. Then Ox’s apron. Then the glowing crystals. “Shore leave?” Kane stepped off the platform. “Don’t.” The doors opened. Three Enterprise crewmen were passing in the corridor. They stopped. The Watch walked between them. Mercer tried to look straight ahead. It didn't help. People stared. A yeoman carrying a stack of padds stopped so abruptly that the man behind her nearly walked into her. Two engineering crewmen moved aside. One looked at Rainer. Then at Mercer. Then at Kane. Kane kept walking. Nobody asked. They made it almost to the junction. Then Mercer heard a voice behind them. “Were they pirates?” Another voice answered. “Don’t know.” A pause. “Was that Kane?” Rainer started laughing. Kane kept walking. They made it as far as the security duty room before Hale insisted on testing the crystals. Mercer placed his on the table. Rainer added hers. Blue light scattered across the bulkhead. Ox sat down. Kane leaned against the wall. Still dressed as a pirate. That alone nearly started Rainer laughing again. Hale opened a tricorder. Mercer watched him scan. Hale frowned. He scanned again. Rainer leaned closer. “What?” Hale didn’t answer. He changed settings. Scanned a third time. Mercer felt something go wrong in his stomach. “Hale.” Hale looked at the crystal. Then at Mercer. “No.” Mercer stared. “No what?” Hale picked it up. Held it toward the overhead light. The crystal no longer glowed. Not really. It only reflected. Rainer grabbed another. “What happened?” Hale scanned it. Then another. Then another. Ox pulled his from his pocket. Hale scanned that too. Silence. Mercer said, “Well?” Hale lowered the tricorder. “It’s glass.” Nobody moved. Mercer looked at him. “What?” “Glass.” Rainer held up her crystal. “That is not glass.” “It is.” “It was dilithium.” “On the planet.” Mercer looked at his. “It glowed.” “On the planet.” “It scanned as dilithium.” “On the planet.” Rainer pointed her crystal at Hale. “I fought a Klingon for this.” Mercer touched his lip. “I got punched by one.” Ox looked at his crystal. “I got stew.” Everyone turned toward him. Ox looked back. Rainer slowly pointed at him. “Ox won shore leave.” Ox considered that. “Stew was pretty good.” Mercer looked toward Kane. Kane was still against the wall. “You knew.” Kane looked at him. “Suspected.” “And you let us carry all this back?” Kane glanced at Rainer’s pile. “I wasn’t carrying it.” Rainer stared at him. Hale put the tricorder away. Mercer looked down at the table. A fortune in dilithium had become a pile of glass. His mouth hurt. His shoulders hurt. There was sand in places sand should never have reached. And for a few hours, the treasure had been real. Mercer picked up one of the pieces of glass. Blue light moved through it when he turned it. Still pretty. Rainer dropped into a chair. Her pirate coat spread around her. “I want another shore leave.” Kane looked at her. “No.” She smiled. Mercer started laughing. Hale tried not to. Failed. Ox joined him. Rainer looked at Kane. Kane held out longer than the rest of them. Not much longer. And somewhere far below them, on a planet built for impossible vacations, a ship full of Klingon pirates was probably still looking for treasure. Mercer hoped they found some. Preferably glass.